this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2023
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I'd kinda prefer one for the GPS versus network
GPS is passive. Short version; all your phone does in regards to triangulation is read the signals from the satellites. Long version; https://youtu.be/qJ7ZAUjsycY
Yeah I realize how GPS triangulates but it still needs an antenna to pick up the GPS signal, which could have a physical cutoff.
Pixels have an MMWave Antenna.
How would cutting off the GPS antenna help?
Maybe they are thinking along the lines of stopping apps on the phone from using the locally calculated GPS data, since the apps can then send that data elsewhere?
For location though, there are lots of other ways to determine location info, such as WiFi networks, cellular towers you connect to, nearby devices. Even if you disconnect the GPS and then walk to where you need to go, your phone's accelerometer/gyro to figure out where you went.
Rather than trying to physically disconnect all that, it's probably easier to do it software side. If location data is really a concern, use grapheneOS and don't install anything questionable.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://piped.video/qJ7ZAUjsycY
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
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Network is more effective IMO, as you don't specifically need GPS to get someone's location. You can use nearby WiFi MAC address lookups, bluetooth beacons, cell towers, or plain old IP lookup if there's internet etc.
Yeah, but it also makes the device a lot less useful unless you're by wifi, and then the triangulation will basically show where you were up to the point you dropped off-network. I already turn off location in software until it's needed - mostly for battery concerns but also some privacy - so having a hard switch would be much more convenient. Tower would still be able to triangulate but accuracy on that can be pretty variable.
IP lookups are kinda useless for GeoIP on phones. Mine shows a location thousands of km away where my provider terminates connections, and they're shared IP's.